Reflections of Passion
by Kaji-chan
Summary: It's Kagome's seventeenth birthday, and she gets quite a surprise when Naraku lands on her front porch and informs her that she will no longer be living with her family, or on Earth. Not that inu hanyous or erased memories help matters any.
1. Being Normal

**REVAMPED**

When Kagome receives a strange jewel shard, is abducted from her kitchen during breakfast, and discovers her strange family history, she begins to realize that being dragged to the edges of the universe by a dog-eared demon and his master just might make her normalities scale a bit of the weird.

When I say AU, I _mean_ alternate universe… cackle Curious yet?

Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own anyone outside of the original story line. It all belongs to Takahashi-sama! sniffles and looks longingly at Inuyasha plushie Though I wish I did…

_Reflections of Passion_

Chapter One: Being Normal

By: Kaji-chan

You know how there are always those little bumps along the road in life? They're like obstacles placed sporadically in the course of your lifetime that obstruct your way… as if testing you. They make you stop and think; ponder which was you are going to go about to get over this obstruction in the way of your ultimate goal. Whether you decide to go around it, under it, above it, through it…

What if you come to a roadblock in life, and there isn't a way to get around it? What do you do? Do you just sit there and stare at it meaninglessly? Do you get frustrated and yell at it? Do you give up and decide to camp there, stuck in front of that looming brick wall for the rest of your natural being? Or do you keep hoping that an opportunity will suddenly present itself to you and allow you to bypass the seemingly impossible complication?

It would have been nice if I had that kind if hope left.

Let's just say that at this point, my life is a living hell. It seems like there's no point in living anymore. All I do is work for no compensation… following that bastard around like a lapdog, forced to obey every command uttered from his foul little being. Cleaning, cooking, washing, polishing, fixing… every kind of menial work he can think of, I attend to it.

I'm not in debt to him. I'm not related to him. Hell, I don't want anything to do with him.

I don't know why I'm here. I don't remember how I got here, anymore. I don't know why I was taken away to dwell in this stupid cell to rot—unless I'm doing some stupid chore for their amusement.

I don't know what they want me for.

I don't know what kind of power I have that would help them at all.

Sure, I might know _why_ they want me, why I'm here. I have something they want, I can see something they can't. But what happens when another comes along who can do exactly what you can? That day may be coming, but for the sake of my existence, I hope it never does.

I don't know why they're still letting me live after all the stunts I've pulled in attempts to escape from the weird place that's holding me captive in a cage of interstellar steel.

I don't know anything anymore. The only thing that seems to keep me sane is looking in the mirror and telling myself that there's more to my reflection than my recollection is revealing, and that I can rest when I unmask it once again.

I am a fairly tall, slim girl with fairly long hair. It's black… a soft black… almost a blue-black, depending on how the light's hitting me. I have a strange eye color… it seems to shift according to my moods, but when I feel calm and _normal_, its usually a muddle of blue and grey. I'm seventeen. My birthday is only a month or so away… and seems so long since I woke up one morning and realized that I had lost all memory of anything preceding my arrival on this ship. The only thing I can hang onto is my name, and my new purpose. Through all the brainwashing, its all that seems to be left of my memories.

My name is Kagome.

I am a Detector.

Kagome's grandfather smiled as his grandchild blew out the candles on her cake, an old smile adorning his wrinkles. She sighed and looked up at him, an almost whine in her tone as she complained, "Jii-chan, aren't I a little old to be blowing out the candles on my birthday cake?"

Her grandfather chuckled and laid an old, knobby hand on her smoother one. "Of course not, child, you aren't too old to blow out your candles when you are seventeen years old. Only when you're my age are you too old." He paused, raising a hand to his chin in contemplative thought, almost as if he was recalling an old story. Kagome tensed as he took a deep breath. "You know… the history of the birthday cake ritual of—"

The sixteen-year-old's face tightened in a grimace as she clamped a hand on her grandfather's shoulder. "Jii-chan… you, ah, already told us that one…"

"I did?" he asked, his forehead creasing as he zoned out in thought again.

Kagome's mother smiled at her daughter, redirecting her attention from her confused grandparent with a tap on the shoulder. "It's your big day, honey," she said with a smile, wrapping her daughter in a tight embrace of motherly affection, not noticing the red-hot blush that flew across her daughter's face in humiliation. "We love you so much!"

Kagome's face seemed to flush in embarrassment and she instantly pushed against her mother's suffocating bear hug, nervously smiling at her mom as she slipped out of her hold. "Uh… thanks mama, but its not even my birthday today. It isn't until tomorrow..."

Ryuka smiled kindly at her friend from across the table. "Hey, should I go get the presents?"

Kagome looked up at everyone, quirking an eyebrow at them as she took a seat at the picnic table. Her whole family was there, and all of her friends; here to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. She continued to berate herself into acting mature and adult—having just turned sixteen—but she couldn't help the excited smile that tugged at her lips in anticipation. "Presents? Awe, you guys…"

Souta smiled and waved his hand in the air, clapping his older sibling on the back as he grinned. "Come on, Kagome-nee-chan. You think I wouldn't give a present to my favorite sister?"

Kagome raised an eyebrow at his comment, reaching up to grab his cheek and tug on it, earning a pained expression from her younger sibling. "What do you want, kiddo?" Her brother slapped her hand away, taking a cautious step backwards and cradling his abused cheek with an annoyed look. Kagome smiled back in innocence. "I'm your _only_ sister, baka, so that little trick of yours doesn't work on me."

Souta laughed nervously, scratching his head sheepishly. "Oh, yeah… well, it's the thought that counts, right?"

Kagome sighed dejectedly and turned to face Ryuka as she returned with a pile of presents, setting them down on the table. "Here you go." Her friend said, smiling brightly.

The young teenager smiled up at her before reaching for the first present, from Souta. Kagome opened the small envelope, casting her brother a curious look before slipping out the piece of paper inside of it. It was a buffet ticket to her favorite Chinese restaurant. She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "Arigatou, Souta."

He smiled goofily, giving Kagome another friendly pat on the back. "No problem, nee-chan." Kagome smirked and patted his head, in which he swatted her hand away indifferently and went back to sit down. As the next few gifts were passed her way, she accepting them and thanked the giver.

The most interesting gift, however, happened to be from her grandfather. Her grandpa gave her a bow and some arrows, which she accepted gratefully, to everyone's mild surprise. Not many people at her party knew that she was into archery except Ryuka and her mother; and Kagome's boyfriend, of course.

Her cousin, sitting separate from the group on a lawn chair not too far off, raised her eyebrow at Kagome. "I didn't know you took archery, itoko."

Kagome blinked, peering over the gift towards Sayo's nonchalantly lounging form. "Yeah… I decided to try out the club—"

"I thought they'd be more selective about picking members for the archery club…" she regarded mildly, cutting Kagome off in mid-sentence with a rude, offhand remark.

Kagome flinched slightly but ignored her comment, thanking her grandpa for his troubles getting the gift and sitting back down at the table. Her comment didn't blow over Kagome's conscience as she let everyone else see, however. Sayo was two years older than herself, and until recently, they had always been the best of friends. Kagome would tell Sayo anything before she ever thought about going to anyone else; they were inseparable and high-spirited when they were together.

But something had happened. In the last year or so, Sayo had grown suddenly cold. It was practically overnight. She no longer spoke to her, and whenever she did, her words were unpleasant and hurtful. Kagome was too heartbroken to say anything to her, and didn't mention it to anyone mainly out of her respect for her cousin, hoping that time would eventually smooth over those rough edges.

Finally, there was only one present left to unwrap. Tyoushi, her new boyfriend, smiled and handed Kagome a very small package, delight sparking into her dark chocolate eyes. "I have two presents for you, but this one is the smaller one." he whispered into her ear. Kagome blushed as his warm breath brushed over her cheek, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips when he leaned forward and wrapped her in a friendly hug. Kagome bit her lip to hold back her widening smile and then turned her attention questioningly to the tiny package, before opening it, only to find a note nestled within its confines.

She looked cynically at her boyfriend, her eyebrow quirked in inquiry. "Put it in your pocket. We'll read it together later," he said, and she smiled warmly. "I still have one more present for you, Kag-chan." Tyoushi said, using her pet name and tickling her side teasingly, emitting a playful fit of laughter from her smiling lips.

"Another?" she inquired in between her short bursts of giggles. He nodded, a mysterious smile on his features. She mildly wondered if he might kiss her with his face so close to hers, and she flushed in embarrassment. Though the two of them had been "dating" for a few weeks, she has yet to have her first kiss. "What is it?" she asked, looking up at him with idyllic eyes and light blush on her cheeks.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small box, not wrapped, unlike the other gifts. It was a simple, plain maroon color, and had gold around the edges of the box. Peering closely, she noticed some gold lettering on the side of the box, automatically recognizing it as a type of English calligraphy. Kagome slowly reached out and opened the box, gasping as it revealed a small necklace within its precincts. It was a silver choker on a loose chain, with one solitary, light, pinkish-purple crystal in the center, surrounded by small pearls carved into teeth. The crystal looked almost as if it was a shard of a bigger jewel, cut carefully to fit within the surrounding ivory fangs. She stared at it, awestruck. "It's so beautiful…" she breathed.

"Only as beautiful as you." Tyoushi said, smiling as a red tint spread across her cheeks and an embarrassed look overtook her features once more. "Do you want me to put it on?" Kagome nodded, allowing him to take it out of the box, the pinkish gem glittering in the sun as he laid it around her neck. Kagome obediently turned and flipped her glossy, raven hair over her shoulder to give his hands better access to the back of her neck, Tyoushi locking the clasp into place. The necklace wasn't too flashy; it was very simple and elegant against the light tone of her skin, seeming to glow upon contact when she reached up to brush her fingers against its surface.

Kagome hugged him loosely, closing her eyes in contentment. This was who she was, and this was where she was supposed to be. This was where she belonged. "Arigatou, Tyoushi-kun."

He smiled softly and gave her a quick, affectionate peck on the cheek. "You're welcome, Kag-chan."

"Otou-san!" Mrs. Higurashi called from the doorsteps, "You forgot to unlock the door again! I need the keys if we're going to have any cake!"

Kagome's grandfather made his way towards the screen door with the keys dangling from the old man's hand, unlocking the door and ushering everyone inside. Kagome smiled up at her boyfriend, and they both followed the party goers into the house.

Kagome blinked softly, her lashes fluttering as her foggy vision refocused, finding herself staring sideways at her bedside table. She blinked again, this time a bit quicker, pushing herself upright and into a sitting position. Her comforter slid from her torso to collect at her waist as she stretched, a yawn rising in her throat.

She gazed lazily at her wall, her lips slightly parted as she slouched in her bed, a sleepy smile lighting her heavy expression.

Today was a her birthday.

Kagome stretched, smiling sleepily as she felt the rewarding tingle roll down her spine. With a soft sigh, she flipped her blanket off of her, sliding deftly out of bed. She padded over to her closet, opening the door and blinking at the array of clothes inside. "Hm..." she pondered aloud, attempting a decision on her state of dress; today was a special day, so she should wear special clothes, right?

"Kagome!"

Kagome turned her eyes from the hangers, glancing towards her door.

"Come on downstairs for breakfast!"

"Okay, mama!" she called back, smiling to herself. Today was going to be a good day. Pausing a finger to her lips in thought, she reached forward, grasping two items and shutting the closet door. Hastily pulling the dark blue shirt over her head, she shimmied out of her pajama bottoms and into the pale blue skirt. Running a brush through her hair a few times and smiling into her reflection in the bedroom mirror, she made to jog out of the room. "Ah..." she said, pausing, turning back to her school uniform lying over the top of her computer chair. "Mama needs to run that through the washer for tomorrow..." she mumbled to herself, quickly snatching the skirt and blouse and skipping out of her room, the uniform hanging from her arm.

She made her way down the steps of the stairs, smiling and waving at her grandfather by the door on the way to the kitchen, not paying much attention to him. "Mama, what's for breakfast this morning?" she questioned cheerfully as she entered the kitchen, bright and cheerful. Then she paused.

There were two strangers sitting calmly at the table, both looking up curiously upon her arrival. One of them, the man at the far end of the table, was sipping on a cup of tea, peering at her over the rim of the tea cup. The woman, who sat relatively next to him, was munching on a piece of toast as she entered, raising an eyebrow at Kagome and smiling oddly.

"Um... hello..." Kagome greeted hesitantly, blinking and confused. Who were these people? Did her mother work for them or something? She shifted a bit uncomfortably, unsure as whether to sit down or not, glancing towards her mother with questioning. Why were these people here in her kitchen? This wasn't some kind of birthday joke, was it?

Her mother smiled, wiping her hands dry on a towel and setting it down on the counter, gesturing to a chair with her free hand. "Please, sit down Kagome. Don't be rude."

She nodded, her smile faded, moving slowly to sink awkwardly into the chair opposite of the strange, black haired man.

"You have some guests this morning, Kagome," her mother continued, setting a bowl of rice in front of Kagome and smiling as she stated the obvious. Who were these people? "They are here from... where did you say again?"

The woman looked up at Kagome's mother, a small, almost unpleasant smile upon her features. "We are from Jinsou. It is a small town. You have most likely not heard of it," she replied, turning her gaze from her mother to Kagome. "Though, it is very important to your past."

Kagome blinked at her, politely covering the 'what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about' look that was pushing against her smile. "No, I haven't..."

The man set down the tea cup, smiling at her. "I'm sorry, Kagome. We have been rude." His smile was more natural than the woman, and his tone was comfortable and smooth. "I am Naraku, and this," he said, gesturing to the woman next to him, "Is Kagura, my wife."

Kagome blinked again, stuttering in spite of her manners, "P-pleasure to meet you..." Didn't they have last names?

The man, Naraku, folded his hands upon the table, bowing his head slightly as if in apology. "I know our arrival is quite unexpected, and probably a bit puzzling, as we are not familiar with each other," he spoke soothingly, "but we are very close friends of yours."

"You are?" Kagome asked, glancing at her mother, who's expression was light and trusting. She turned back to Naraku as he raised his eyes back to her, unsure. Should she trust this man as well?

"Yes," he continued. "We have traveled a long way to see you on your birthday."

Kagome's mother sat down across from Kagura, setting a cup of tea by the bowl of rice. "Why travel so far just to see me?" she inquired. She still wasn't quite sure who these people were, and was disinclined to believe them.

"We have something for you," the woman said, her unsettling smile returning. She picked up her teacup, bringing it to her lips with a curious expression, but it slipped incremoniously from her fingers, dropping onto the table. Kagura gasped, reaching for it, but it rolled off of the edge, falling to the floor and shattering against the kitchen tile. She put a hand to her lips, turning to Kagome's mother. "Oh, dear, I am so sorry about that!" Kagome felt her eyes narrow suspiciously. It was almost as if she had meant to do that...

"Oh, don't worry about it! I'll clean it up for you," her mother said immediately, standing from her chair and moving towards the broken cup and spilt tea.

"Oh, I feel so terrible..." Kagura said, touching her hand to her cheek. "It must be that terrible flight, it's turned me inside out and made me so clumsy."

Kagome's mother shook her head dissuasively. "No, no, I know how hard it can be on such long plane rides. It can make me feel so light headed." She opened the cabinet underneath the sink, peering inside. "Where did I put that dustpan?" She stood, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry, I seemed to have misplaced it... will you excuse me?"

"Of course. Take your time," Naraku replied, nodding. Kagome's mother smiled in thanks, exiting the kitchen in search of a broom, Naraku's eyes falling back upon Kagome.

Kagome looked at Naraku, still a bit confused. He reached under the table, pulling out a plainly wrapped parcel and sliding it gently across the table to Kagome. She peered at it uncertainly. "What is it?" she asked, her hesitance slowly fading as she gazed at the package with interest.

_Why is this happening to me?_

"Open it," he replied, watching her.

She paused uncertainly, merely staring at the present with an almost reluctance. But something inside her was too curious to pass up such an interesting opportunity... though she was a bit unsure as to what kind of opportunity this was, exactly. She placed a hand on the parcel, turning her eyes up to the watching man across the table. He smiled at her, urging her forward. She felt herself smile back, and, loosing her hesitance, turned back to the package, her fingers working to untie the string, slowly pulling apart the brown paper covering it. A gasp paused on her lips.

She immediately grasped the necklace lying upon her chest, feeling almost as if it had become heavier, pulling against her neck. "This is..." she whispered, her eyes locked on the contents of the package with almost alarm.

"Ah, yes, you have seen this before, haven't you?" he asked. She was suddenly aware of how intently he was watching her. She tore her eyes away, looking up at the man across the table with wide, panicked eyes. He smiled. Though, this time, his smile was not pleasant.

"You can feel it, can't you?" he said, his voice quiet and cursive. "You are drawn to it, aren't you?"

_This isn't real..._

Kagome felt her fingers fall from her neck to brush over it, her eyes trailing back down to its soft glow. She felt herself being pulled towards it, as if it were drawing her forward, tugging softly on her and clenching her breath. It illuminated gently, radiating a dark, menacing incandesce that flickered across her features. Her hand reached up to wrap around the jewel hanging from her neck, looking away from the dark crystal upon the table to peer down at her necklace. A gasp shocked her as she realized that it was now as clouded and black as the one before her.

Her body was suddenly overtaken by a powerful, invisible force, pulling down on her chest and drawing her forward towards the table. Her hands shot from her necklace to grip the table, her lips parting to draw in a deep, haggard breath that barely filled what was needed in her lungs. Her eyes, wide and bloodshot, trailed heavily from the darkly pulsing shard to the man at the end of the table, her chest contracting sharply in attempt for air. She opened her mouth to speak, but had no air for words.

He smiled cruelly, folding his hands upon the table as he watched her convulse, sliding from the edge of her chair and raking her nails upon the edge of the table. "Is it painful, Kagome?"

_This isn't normal..._

Her fingers trembled, sweat pulling down her temples and mingling with the pain-stricken tears upon her cheeks as she fought for breath. It surrounded her... such heavy darkness that it constricted her throat and clenched around her heart. Her vision ran blurry, fading to an incomprehending haze, lined by dark purple hue and growing stronger with every second passing without breath. She had slipped from her chair to her knees, her head against the edge of the table as her hands grasped the corners with white knuckles.

The jewel burned into her neck, choking her as if the chain was twisting upon her throat. Kagome's hands slid up to her neck, clawing at the necklace in an attempt to rip it off of her. She had to get away from it... she couldn't breathe... she... she couldn't...

"My dearest Kagome..." began Naraku, his voice chillingly cold and uncaring as it brushed by her ears, "I'm afraid you only have two choices if you would like to live, and about a minute to make them."

Her eyes, half-lidded and drugged, pulled away from the floor to stare heavily into his, her chest now convulsing as it attempted to pull air through her open lips, strangling against her closed throat. Ch...choices...?

_I want to be normal..._

There was a rattling as someone outside of the door pulled against it, suddenly realizing that it was locked. "Kagome, dear... could you open the door? I think it's locked..."

Her head lolled against the table, turning her eyes slowly to the door, gently rattling. Mama... Her lips fell open, but she had no air for words, no strength to move them.

"Kagome... could you open the door, please?"

His harsh voice cut through the soft clittering at the shouji door. "You have about a minute left to live, I'm afraid. You're body won't be able to move without air, so I will prompt your choices now."

"Kagome?"

Her head rolled back, her eyes resting on Naraku's form, feeling her fingers becoming weaker.

"You could either come with us, in which I will lift the spell from you and allow you to live, but only if you will do as I ask and go quietly." Her eyes widened, and her fingers suddenly tightened again against the table's edge. "Or you can refuse, in which case I will wait until you fall unconscious and then kill every member of your family and leave you here alone."

Her struggling for air began to weaken, her eyes clouding so that she could no longer see the twisted smile upon his lips.

"Or, if you would like, I could allow you to continue to suffocate, in which you and your family, both, will die. Now, if you choose to come quietly, I may be gracious and allow you to return when I no longer have use of you, and your family will remain fairly unharmed. The choice is yours, Kagome." She might not have been able to see his features, but she knew he was laughing at her. "You have a little less than thirty seconds."

"Kagome... is everything all right in there?"

Her hands began to slip from the table, her vision so abstracted that she could no longer separate the table from the floor. Her head was swimming, her heart pounding loudly in her ears.

"You have about twenty seconds, Kagome."

Her lips fell open, fluttering.

"Kagome? Kagome!"

The soft rattling at the door suddenly became frantic, and Kagome twisted upon the floor, fighting even stronger for air.

"Kagome!"

Mama...

_Why can't I be normal?_

"Ten seconds, Kagome."

Her fingers clenched against the jewel at her neck, her lungs screaming and heart thundering.

"Kagome! What's going on in there!"

"Five..."

Her eyes pulled up to the vaguely shadowed feature at the ends of her vision, her hand slipping against the table as if looking for something to grasp.

"Four..."

"Kagome!"

"Onee-san, what's going on?"

"Three..."

Her lips trembled.

"Two..."

The rattling was frantic and sharp against her ears.

"Kagome! Open the door, Kagome!"

Her chin rested against the edge of the table, pushing her body forward as she mouthed one word.

_Let me just be like everyone else._

'Yes.'

"Kagome!"

She fainted.

You like? Sorry to leave you on such a cliffhanger, but I thought I'd leave you in a nice little bout of suspense. Don't worry, the next chapter is already out! Hehe… Review!


	2. White Walls and a Miniskirt

Hm… there's not much to say in terms of the story, except that this is the point when the actual "plot" of the story kicks in… I guess you're also wondering where the comedy is coming in, huh? (Well, Naraku showing up for breakfast WAS some of my comedy, but, bah...) This chapter will certainly lighten up the mood of the story, so I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I only own the characters outside of the original Inuyasha story line. Other than that, I don't own them! If I did, I would have every anime that's known to man at my fingertips, crazy anime fans banging at my door begging for Inuyasha DVD's, and, best of all, I wouldn't be going to school...

Reflections of Passion

Chapter Two: White Walls and a Miniskirt

By: Kaji-chan

Kagome's eyes fluttered open. Everything seemed groggy; her memory was fuzzy and her vision a blur. It took a few blinks to get the room into a clearer picture. She was laying on her back, starin1010„g up at the blank white of a ceiling, confusion lingering in the recesses of her thoughts. "Where am I?" she whispered. She slid her hands up to her waist, pushing herself into a sitting position, staring blankly forward. Her eyes swept around the room, searching for something... what was she searching for...?

Perhaps she was dreaming…?

The walls were all white, and there was no other furniture in the room except for a bed she happened to be lying on top of, which, in the architect's horrible taste, was also white. Looking to the left of her, she noticed two--consequently white--doors. One of them led what appeared to resemble some form of bathroom or washroom (she knew this solely because that particular door was open), and she assumed the other one was a closet. Directly in front of her, adjacent to the closet door, was a large, metal door, which must have been the main exit leading out into... whatever resided behind it--most likely a hallway. She rubbed her head and s101010wung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet lightly touching the icy surface of a concrete flooring. She stood shakily.

Cold air rushed over her body, causing her to gasp. Kagome glanced down, surprised to see that the bruises and cuts she was sure to be there from tripping over herself the other day were completely healed. All that was left was a light scar raking across the side of her hip... but that was just an old childhood scar. She didn't really expect that would be gone as well.

Tilting her head to the side in a furious blush, she also noticed that she was bearing no clothing other than her underwear. With a muffled cry of panic, her hands clasped over her shoulders in an attempt to cover her chest, a bit horrified upon her discovery that her bra was not accompanying her panties. In a small bout of embarrassment, she covered herself with her hands, despite the fact that she was the only one in the room. Swallowing uncertainly, she made her way over to what she believed to be the closet 1010 and slowly opened it, praying to God there would be something in there for her to wear.

Thankfully there was. Unfortunately, however, the selection seemed to be limited to a simple black gown of sorts, greyed and worn, along with a white shirt/black pants ensemble, neatly folded upon the hip-level, bare white shelf. Her eyebrows pinched, a bit wary of the absence of undergarmets among the selection... She noticed a neatly folded robe of some sorts on one of the shelves next to a stack of... towels? She 1010reached for it awkwardly, slipping it off of the shelf and letting it fall open to hang from her hands, her eyes running up and down its length. From her inspection, it seemed to be fairly clean and normal... It would have to do.

Sighing and wrapping herself within the confines of the rough cotton-ish robe, she stepped back from the closet, glad to find something to protect her modesty. She closed the closet doors, her hands lingering upon the white dorrs as she once again took in the scope of the room. Hm... her robe was also white...

There was some kind of trend here...

And then she noticed a more colorful piece of cloth hidden beneath the black gown, peaking out from underneath it. She blinked, reaching forward and removing the black garmet.

She gasped, almost dropping it as her eyes fell upon the clothing underneath it. "My... uniform...101010?" Her fingers brushed over the familiar highschool uniform, a light smile on her features. How did this get here? The last time she had it, she was going downstairs for breakfast...

Wait...

Suddenly, she remembered everything. That woman was in her kitchen... and that man...

"You have ten seconds, Kagome."

"Onee-san, what's going on?"

"Kagome! Open the door, Kagome!"

Mama...

Her fingers brushed up to her neck, finding it bare. She peered down to where her hand rested upon her chest. The necklace was gone, and the jewel shard with it.

That man had tried to kill her... no... he had blackmailed her into something. Where was she? In his house? In some kind of laboratory! She glanced around her, expecting to find some kind of window from which a bunch of weirdos were watching her, a bit disappointed when she found none. It didn't mean that the strange man wasn't nearby, though.

Maybe, if she could find him, she could find out where she was. Not only that, but with a little intimidation--th1010Cough she wasn't exactly sure how she would go about intimidating her captor--she couls get him to answer some questions for her. The sooner she found information, the sooner she could get away and back to her family.

She turned to face the room, her eyes landing on the tall metal door. Maybe it was open? She made her way over to it, tip-toeing across the cold floor and reaching out, tugging on the handle. Unfortunately, it was locked, as she had probably suspected. Kagome bit her lip, sinking down to the floor in a crumpled heap, her legs sprawled out to either side 1010Åof her. She was stuck here.

She began to feel tears burn the back of her eyes. She felt the horrible foreboding sensation that she usually got when she was anxious, except thousands of times worse. Was everyone okay? Was her family okay?

The teenager sighed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. How would she be able to find her family? Kagome assumed that she was probably in some large building, judging by the size of the room she was in... or something along those lines... so she didn't dare go walking around, even if the door was open. One, she wouldn't know where she was going, and two, it was very likely that she would get killed if she ran into the wrong person. "How am I going to get out of here?"

Her question fell heavily on the silence.

Her sobs soon followed.

She must have been lying on that cold floor for hours, crying herself to death. But now1010f it seemed that she had no energy left to cry, nor did she have any tears left to shed. She had drifted off for an hour or so not too long ago, exhausted by her tears. She now stared blankly at the closed metal door, dried tracks of tears running down her face and her eyes so dry that they were burning.

What was she doing here?

The question circled in her head, finding no meaning and no constraint upon her conscious. She drew her legs into her chest, closing her eyes and resting her chin against her knee.

What was she doing here?

A light clattering outside of the door alerted her attention. Her eyes shot open, turning to focus upon the door, pausing her breath. Was someone out there? Her heart began to race as the handle rattled for a few moments, and then, her breath caught, it turned, the heavy metal door swinging slowly open, a figure darkenin1010g the doorway.

The figure appeared to be, as she stepped through the door, a woman, smiling oodly and shutting it behind her. "Did you rest well?" Her tone did not convey any more concern than the twisted humor upon her features, cold and plainly stated by the thin smile of her red painted lips.

She immediately recognized her. Her lips thinned as she returned the cold smile with a frown. It was Kagura, the woman sitting at her table this morning. Or... was it yesterday morning? The morning a few days ago? She didn't know how long she had been sleeping for before she awoke in this room.

Only, this Kagura was oddly dressed; it seemed she had changed out of her blouse and black skirt and into a strange, multi colored kimono. It was certainly light enough to be a yuk10105ata, but the long sleeves and expensive looking silk material beneath it revealed otherwise. It was basically white, with a few burgandy stripes scattered across it in pattern, a simple yellow sash--as it was too haphazardly ties to be called an obi--across her waist. There were two layers beneath it, as they barely peeked out from beneath the collar, of blue and green. An eyebrow rose. Why was she wearing such odd traditional clothing? Especially such expensive traditional clothing?

"Are you ready to accept?"

Kagome's confusion melted into a odd form of irritation, almost sprouted from some foreign sense of anger. "Accept...?" she repeated.

Kagura crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one side as if in impatience. It was then that Kagome noticed she was holding a fan of some sort, eyeing it with 10104a bit of puzzlement. Why did she have a fan with her? "Accept your... fate, I suppose I should say," she replied. She sounded a bit bored. Kagura sighed, tapping the edge of her fan against her chin. "Ah... that sounds so cliche, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean, 'accept my fate'?" Kagome questioned. Her legs slid out from under her arms as she braced her hands against the floor in preparation to stand.

"Oh, you know, prepare to devote your life to a horrible drama of sorts; accept that there's no way out but to do what we say." She smiled, though a bit more pleasant as she found some comedy in Kagome's strange situation which, she, consequently, appeared to be partially responsible for.

She, however, failed to see the humor. "So you expect me to just do as you say!" she rebuted, standing shakily, h1010Ãer hand pressed against the wall for support. She was still a bit shaken up from her crying, and her energy was still, it seemed, drained.

Kagura shrugged. "That's not really my problem, is it? I think that's something you should take to Naraku, don't you?"

Kagome eyed her uncertainly, not trusting. She did need to ask this Naraku a few questions, as she certainly had a heap of them unanswered. But if she followed her, who knew where this woman would take her. Then again, the fact that she wasn't lying in an alleyway somewhere probably meant that she was of some importance to them, especially when they went through all of that trouble to come and take her away from her family. "Fine, I'll speak to your husband," she replied, her tone strained.

Kagura blinked at her, uncrossing her arms. "Husband?" she repeated, looking almost confused for a moment. "Oh..." The confusion faded. "You still believe that charade, girl?" she asked, the humored smile1010˙ returning to her lips.

Kagome, once again, failed to see why this was funny. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we were lying to you. You need to be a bit more observant or you'll never survive in the real world." Kagura paused, tilting her head a bit. "Well, this would be the real world, now, wouldn't it?"

Kagome's lips twisted into an irritated frown.

"Are you still interested in questioning him, then?" she prompted, moving towards Kagome with slow, even steps. She was certainly impatient.

Her frown faltered, replaced by a bit of alarm as she took a step back. "O-of course I am."

Kagura was a step away from her now, a smirk replacing her flippant smile. "Well, then," she said, reaching out towards her with the fan. Kagome flinched, turning her head away. Kagura merely chuckled coldly, flicking the collar of her robe with the tip of the fan, shaking her head. "Though you probably don't want my opinion, if you want to be serious, perhaps you should change clothes, hm?"

Kagome gulp1010˛ed, flashes of scenes from sci-fi movies appearing in her head. If this women came at her with a scapel—

"Oh, please," Kagura sighed, grabbing her arm and turning her around to face the closet. "Just get out of the robe and put on some clothes. You do know what clothes are, don't you?"

Kagome pulled her arm out of her hold, glaring at her over her shoulder, quickly getting over her initial alarm. "Of course I know what clothes are! I was wearing a nice enough set before you took them away from me!"

Kagura blinked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Take them from you? There weren't any left. Unless you want the pieces of them."

Kagome didn't understand, mirroring her bewilderment, except her surprise lacked the irritation of Kagura's. "What...?"

"Look," she said, cutting off her question, "He was even nice enough to steal a set of clothes for you." She pointed to the school uniform, hanging a bit haphazardly from the shelf, stilled from Kagome's earlier shifting.

"My uniform?" she asked, reaching o101010ut for it.

Suddenly, Kagura grabbed her wrist, jerking her away from the closet. "No," she said sharply, snatching the uniform from the shelf with her other hand and tucking it under her arm. Kagome was too confused to question her as she pointed to the black and white ensemble in the corner.

"That...?" she inquired, rubbing her wrist as Kagura released it.

"Yes. That. Put it on," she ordered blandly, picking it up and dropping it into Kagome's arms. "I'll wait outside for you to change, then."

Not wanting to make her angry, she glanced down warily at the clothes that she was holding. Kagome decided that disobeying would only cause more trouble, and with a bit lip, she reluctantly nodded, shuffling into the bathroom as Kagura waited outside the door.

The bathrobe slid down her shoulders, falling with a light thump to the floor. Kagome pressed a hand to her chest, feeling a bit open and exposed without the common comforts of her bra, which was, unfortunately, absent with the rest of her clothing. 1010 She reached down and picked up what seemed to be the top, gazing quietly at the white cloth with a bit of confusion.

This was no ordinary outfit with just a shirt and pair of pants. It actually appeared to be some form of old style dress, for, unless her eyes decieved her, the top in her hands resembled a five hundred-year-old hakama of sorts. She knew this because her grandfather commonly wore such when tending to the shrine grounds. It was some form of ceremonial garb, but why would it be here, and why101010 would she be wearing it...? (or why would she be about to wear it, for that matter?)

She pursed her lips, frowning at the garmet with frustration. This was ridiculous. Why were her abductors forcing her to wear such old fashioned clothing? Surely they had a T-shirt lying around somewhere. Maybe they were meandering around her house looking for a set of clothes and went into Grandpa's room first. But good God, if they were going to abduct someone, they should have been prepared...

"Hurry up, will you?" she heard on the other side of the door.

She muttered an apology, which Kagura probably didn't hear, then glanced back at the top. Kagome made a note to fold it right over left; she didn't want to be giving anyone the false impression that she was dead or something... not that she would be seeing someone she knew. A sigh passed her lips as she shrugged on the top, folding it across her chest and tieing it.

Kagome did the same with the pants, pulling them up and tieing them securely across her waist1010  
line, taking a few moments to make sure the top was tucked into the pants correctly and fixing any awkward bulges. A frown paused on her features again. She felt so uncomfortable wearing pants so high up, as wasn't the style these days, especially when the sides hung so loosely from her hips, rather than the snug, tight jeans she was used to.

She glanced down at herself. Yes, this was definately what her grandfather wore... how embarrassing.

She sighed, staring at the white ribbon in her hand. It was probably meant for her hair, but she had no idea how to fix it in the traditional way her grandfather had once tried to teach her. Oh well, who cared if her hair was down anyway? She absently wished for a brush as she touched the mass of tangled strands, her finger101010s attempting to run through them and catching abruptly in frequent knots.

She sighed, turning to peer at where she expected a mirror to be, frowning as she realized that there wasn't one. Who made bathrooms without mirrors? Another sigh pressed against her lips as she turned away from the blank wall, bending down to pick up the heaped robe and lie it across her arm.

She heard an irritated tapping on the other side of the bathroom door, followed by Kagura's irritated words. "Kagome... if you're looking for a window to climb out of, or a rat hole to widen with a spoon, I'll save you the trouble and tell you that there isn't one."

Kagome immediately flattened against the wall, covering a shriek with her palm and darting widened eyes around the bathroom. "Rats!"

There was a tight sigh from the other side. "Oh, for--! There are no rats in there!"

Kagome eyed the toliet warily.

"Please don't tell me you're afraid of rats..." Kagura sounded a bit more irritated then humored, however.

Kagome glared a1010 t the door. "Of course I'm not!" she cried indignantly, her hand tightening upon the robe draped over her arm. She shakily peeled herself from the wall, her hand reaching over and twisting the doorknob, her eyes still trained on the toliet with suspicion. She knew that as soon as she turned her back--

"Kagome, there are no rats in the damned bathroom! Just get your ass out here!"

Though she didn't necessarily appreciate her tone, Kagome pushed open the door and walked out slowly, adjusting the robe on 1010jher arm and looking up at Kagura; she stood a few feet away, staring blankly at her for a few moments. Well... her expression was a bit taut, but Kagome assumed it was because of the rats in the bathroom. Kagome paused, feeling a bit awkward under her scrutiny.

The tense twitch of her eyebrow slowly faded away as se observed Kagome's new state of dress, though a bit of irritation still lingered in her tinned lips. "No, no," she said finally, tapping her fan against her lips again. "You forgot the hair."

Kagome felt her own lips thin. Who cared about her hair! "So?" Kagome asked indignantly, her hand tightening a bit upon the hair tie with a hint of defiance.

Kagura snorted, lifting the fan from her lips. "Oh, stop complaining already," she muttered, snapping the fan open. Before Kagome could question, Kagura held the fan before her, sharply flicking 1010∑her wrist back. A sharp wind picked up suddenly, and the ribbon flew from Kagome's grip as quickly as she could gasp in surprise, hovering before her. Kagura did a small circle with her fan, smiling with amusement as Kagome watched in what seemed to be halfway between amazement and terror, a coarse wind whipping around her.

Her hair lifted from her shoulders underneath the swirling of a harsh breeze and untanged, twisting into a ponytail of sorts. With another movement of Kagura's wrist, the white tie circled around the long strands of ebony, curling over itself and entwining into a loose tie. Kagura snapped the fan shut with a smirk and the wind instantly died, the hair tie pulling painfully tight upon her hair, Kagome wincing as she did so.

Bewildered, her hand reached behind her to touch the back of her head, a bit shell-shocked to say the least. Suddenly, the rats in the bathroom didn't appear to be as alarming anymore. "My h1010pair..." she began, turning her eyes to Kagura. From the small smirk on her lips, it seemed that Kagome's bewilderment was returning her lost humor. "Y-you... the fan... how did you..."

"Don't hurt yourself, Kagome," she said, tapping her on the head with the fan. "I think I've been babysitting you for a bit too long. Time to go." Before she could argue with her, Kagura grabbed her by the arm and lead her out the door and into the hallway, Kagome stumbling behind her.

Kagome shivered from the cold air that rushed up the baggy legs of her pants as soon as her feet stepped outside the door, a strong chill numbing her bare feet. Her hands grasped her shoulders as she began to shiver. "It's fr-freezing out h-here!" she hissed as the hairs on the back of her neck stiffened.

"You'll get used to the cold. Your body just hasn't adjusted to it, yet."

She bit her lip1010, feeling goosebumps rise all over her body, the material of her clothing thin and open to the frigid air. Kagura slammed the door shut behind them, and it was then that Kagome decided to peer around her, her hands still tightly cluching her trembling shoulders.

The hall was not exactly what she had expected. Instead of the plain white walls in her room, these walls resembled nothing of the inside of a home. The walls of the outside hallway were, alternately, a stark grey and metal; braces of a similarily steel-like quality jutted out of the sides and curved up with the bend of the ceiling to create countless arches down the length of the corridor.

Rather than the short, white hallway she had imagined, it was grey, narrow and long; the hall only continued for about ten meters to he10105r right, ending with a large set of metal double doors, but the left end of the hall curled around and extended beyond her sight. The bright florescent lights above her only followed to the left about halfway down, and beyond that, there either weren't any at all or they had all blown out somehow.

Her eyes gazed down the fading hallway, its curve disappearing into a sudden darkness, feeling a shiver run up her spine as her eyes stared into the hidden shadows of the hall, spontaneously illuminated by a softly flickering light in the darkness. Somehow she knew the chills weren't from the cold of the hall.

"I wouldn't venture down that ways, if you know what's best for you," Kagura commented, approaching Kagome. She swallowed thickly, unable to pull her eyes away from the murkiness beyond the lights.

"Where1010S is this?" Kagome breathed, momentarily forgetting the ice prickling her fingertips.

Kagura did not reply, only tightly grasping Kagome's arm and turning her right, pushing her towards the double doors.

"Where are you... t-taking me...?" she chattered, convinced that her lips were turning blue now that she was thinking of the cold again.

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Kagura complained, her expression loosing its humor to a high irritation. Kagome felt a bit uncomfortable, attempting to pull her arm out of this woman's grip. She was definately a whimsical individual, wasn't she? "You're going to 'accept your fate'. I suppose you could say that you really don't have a choice in that, though. Maybe you're going to understand it, rather?"

Her words didn't offer much comfort. But they probably weren't intended to.

Without anot101010her word, Kagura raised her hand before the towering doors. At this point of the hall, the ceiling seemed to rise, the extent of the doors reaching to the full height of the corridor. She swept her hand across the crease, taking a step back and waiting. Kagome blinked, a bit confused. Shouldn't she just push them open?

Before she could inquire the pause, the doors swung open, pushing away from them just enough so that the crack was large enough for them to walk through. Kagome furrowed her brow as they stepped through the opening, peering around them for some sort of opening lever. Either she was going crazy or those doors opened on their own. Speaking of which, doors that large were never so eerily silent when opened...

The doors swung closed soundlessly behind them as Kagura snatched her wrist, dragging her inside. They were met with a juncture. Kagome looked around the square room; with the double doors behind her, there were three doors before her, one to the right, the left, and her front. Ka1010∏gura reached forward and turned the doorknob of the one directly in front of them, opening the door and pushing Kagome inside.

She stumbled forward, finding herself in a tall, wide room, much of the same architecture of the first hallway. Huge metal arches grazed the walls, stretching upwards to meet each other in a point upon the spherical ceiling. The entire room had a circular shape, and was large enough to fit about four of those white bedrooms inside of it.

This room, though, appeared to her to be some sort of computer central, like something off of Star-Trek. She had seen some of the old American TV series when her brother caught the movie marathons on some of their English channels. The walls were covered with screens and blinking lights, and computer panels stretched the line of the walkway, circling around the room. One screen, in particular, stretched almost half of the wall's length, but didn't seem to be producing any m1010Ìore than a black, softly glowing picture. The hum of electronics filled her ears, computers buzzing all around her. "What is...?"

"Kagome."

She spun, her eyes locking on the figure standing in the far end of the room, facing the wall. Of what she could make out of him, he was clothed in odd, loose fitting cloth, perhaps--as she couldn't quite make out in the shadow--the same style of which Kagura was wearing, and had long, curling hair, reaching far below that of Kagome's. He stood fairly straight, his hands clsped behind his back as he stared at the black, picture-less screen adorning the wall before her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but wasn't quite sure what to say. There wasn't much to say, but there was certainly much to question... Why was she here? Who was this man? What happened? Why was she naked when she woke up!

"I'm glad you are here," he said smoothly, readjusting her focus back to his turned back.

Wait...

She knew that voice.

He turned, slowly, to face her.

Hmm... is right! To answer a question on something in the original story I ended up sending to the "shit pile"... I orginially had her dressed in this weird, slightly skimpy dress of sorts--that was solely for my own amusement (and Naraku's, haha) and had nothing to do with the plot... which is why it was shot to hell. I decided that her wearing clothes much more like the style of the "villians" (cackle I love that word!) was much more appropriate, since she's going to be rooming with them anyway.

Onward with editing! waves flag and skips off10101010


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